1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pool equipment. Specifically, and not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to a floating debris removal system for a pool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many homes include pools for the enjoyment of their occupants. Pools provide a refreshing way of enjoying the summer, provide a place to exercise and accentuate the backyard of many residences. However, as most homeowners having pools know, the upkeep and cleaning of a pool can take a large amount of a person's time. In particular, the cleaning of a pool and removal of debris from skimmer baskets is both time consuming and tedious. However, neglecting the cleaning of the pool including the removal of debris from the surface of a pool can have dire consequences to the equipment and overall condition of the pool.
To maintain a clean pool, most swimming pools have the water filtered by a two stage filtration system. The first stage utilizes a skimmer assembly having an inlet and basket with apertures. The pool water flows into the top of the basket and out through the bottom of the basket. The basket is specifically designed to remove large debris, such as leaves, blossoms, and large bugs which may have fallen into the water. The water exiting the skimmer basket is then generally pumped to a second stage filter. The second stage filter typically is a sand or diatomaceous earth filter that removes fine debris which passes through the skimmer system. However, over time, if the basket is not emptied, the basket may become clogged with debris and impede the passage of the water through the basket. This condition may cause damage to the components of the second stage filter, such as the pump and the entire filter system. Thus, it is imperative that the basket be emptied and replaced on a regular basis. Furthermore, this problem is aggravated when the vegetation near a pool matures, particularly trees, which results in an increased amount of debris. Historically, this growth occurs slowly and the pool owner spends an incrementally higher amount of time handling this problem. Eventually, this may result in an inordinate amount of time and effort being required by the pool owner to attend to the skimmer basket when the amount of debris is very large.
A system is needed for negating the constant care necessary in emptying the skimmer baskets. In particular, a system is needed to automatically remove debris from the pool surface. Although there are no known prior art teachings of a system or method such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,290 to Butcher et al. (Butcher) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,402,242 to Duckett (Duckett).
Butcher discloses a pool skimmer cleaner. The pool skimmer cleaner includes a conveyor belt which removes debris. The lower end of the conveyor belt is inserted into the skimmer below the level of the water. As the conveyor belt is rotated, the belt removes debris from the skimmer to a point outside the skimmer where the conveyor belt deposits the debris into a receptacle. However, Butcher suffers from several disadvantages. The conveyor belt of Butcher is designed to be inserted into the top of the skimmer which may impede the flow of water in the swimming pool skimmer, thereby reducing the efficiency of the skimmer system. Furthermore, because of its bulk and configuration, the skimmer cleaner is not portable. In addition, Butcher requires the debris to enter through the skimmer opening, which makes it difficult for the skimmer cleaner to sufficiently remove all debris on the pool's surface.
Duckett discloses a debris removal skimmer for a swimming pool. The skimmer includes a rectangular enclosure having an inlet opening coupled to a flow control door or flapper. The skimmer further includes a conveyor assembly which has a pair of cylinders around which is disposed a conveyor belt. The first cylinder is located at the top side opposite the inlet opening. The second cylinder is located near the inlet opening which is located under the water level when the skimmer is installed. One of the cylinders is motorized so that when a piece of debris is carried by the water through the inlet opening, it is pushed against the conveyor belt. The piece of debris is then carried by the belt up towards the top of the enclosure and ultimately outside the enclosure. However, Duckett also suffers from several disadvantages. First, Duckett is not portable and must be built into the skimmer. Furthermore, Duckett requires the use of an enclosure, which adds considerable cost to the skimmer system.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a system which automatically removes debris from the surface of a pool which is portable and useable on an existing pool. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a system.